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Permalink Reply by giordio cieszkowski on April 3, 2012 at 12:27pm

science -> IF, THEN

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Permalink Reply by giordio cieszkowski on April 3, 2012 at 12:29pm

Science is hard when empirical evidence is faint

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Permalink Reply by Yasha Hartberg on April 3, 2012 at 12:56pm

This would seem to need some clarification.  I can think of at least two ways to interpret this.  The first would be that religious beliefs, behaviors and practices can be studied scientifically.  The second would be that the content of those beliefs, behaviors and practices can be studied scientifically.  In other words, under the first interpretation would be the idea that people who believe in gods can be studied using the scientific method.  Under the second interpretation would be the idea that people's claims about their gods, such as omnipotence, omnipresence or omniscience could be studied scientifically.  These aren't always separate issues, but often they are and can cause considerable disagreement.

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Permalink Reply by giordio cieszkowski on April 4, 2012 at 1:24pm

I am gunning for the second approach you mentioned!

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Permalink Reply by Yasha Hartberg on April 4, 2012 at 1:33pm

Glad to have the clarification.  I must admit I thought it rather odd to have the first sense I mentioned stated as a belief module since it represents an entire field of scholarly study.  That wouldn't preclude it from being a belief, but it's just now how I usually think about it.

giordio cieszkowski said:

I am gunning for the second approach you mentioned!

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